THE IDEA
International Violin Competition Henri Marteau
A wonderful celebration of virtuosity, passion and musical excellence
A wonderful celebration of virtuosity, passion and musical excellence
The International Violin Competition Henri Marteau takes place every three years at the Haus Marteau in Lichtenberg and the Freiheitshalle in Hof. Founded in 2002 by the Freundeskreis der Musikbegegnungsstätte Haus Marteau e.V., the District of Upper Franconia took over the responsibility for the competition in 2007. The Hofer Symphoniker are responsible for the artistic and general coordination.
The goals of the competition are to support highly qualified young musicians on their way to an international career, to underline the importance of musical education for young people, to contribute to international understanding, to enable exchanges between young talented musicians and to commemorate the name and work of the great violinist Henri Marteau.
The competition encourages young musicians by providing cash and non-cash prizes, by enabling them to meet internationally known violinists and by providing a subsequent support program which includes scholarships, the procurement of debut concerts and broadcast productions with the Bayerischer Rundfunk.
The competition's media partner is the Bayerischer Rundfunk, which provides an ideal platform for the young musicians' performances through intensive media coverage. Many families in Lichtenberg and the surrounding area provide accommodation for the participants and their accompanists during the competition.
RESPONSIBLE BODY
Preserving and shaping: Henri Marteau's legacy
The International Music Retreat of the district of Upper Franconia in Lichtenberg is the center of the Henri Marteau Violin Competition.
Haus Marteau enjoys an excellent reputation among music education centers due to its exclusive program and unique atmosphere. In addition to maintaining and developing the pedagogical heritage of Henri Marteau, the district of Upper Franconia is committed to reappraisinging and communicating the cultural and historical background of Haus Marteau.
The district of Upper Franconia, financially supported by the Upper Franconia Foundation and the Free State of Bavaria, has been cultivating the heritage of an important artist and paedagogue, who helped write a piece of European music history, in a comprehensive way since 1982.
Haus Marteau is one of many examples of the district of Upper Franconia's trans-regional cultural funding. In the field of music, the district provides extensive support for the Bayreuth Festival, the Hofer Symphoniker, the Bamberg Symphoniker, the theatres in Coburg and Hof, as well as the Kronach School of Music.
THE PATRON
Dr. Markus Söder
Patron of the competition
Patron of the competition
HENRI MARTEAU
Henri Marteau (1874-1934)
Henri Marteau was born in 1874 in Reims as the son of the textile manufacturer Charles Marteau and his wife Clara. His parents received the European elite from the arts and sciences in their salon, where, at the age of five, Henri met Ernesto Camillo Sivori, a pupil of Niccolò Paganini. Sivori provided the enthusiastic child with a small violin and his first lessons. Marteau made his debut as a prodigy in 1884 in Reims before an audience of 2000. In 1887, he fascinated Johannes Brahms, the press, and the public at a concert of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna.
He became friends with Max Reger in 1904, whose work he continuously supported. They performed together in over 50 concerts. In 1908, he succeeded Joseph Joachim as a professor at the Academy of Music in Berlin. From 1911 to 1913, he built his villa in Lichtenberg. Due to his French citizenship, Marteau lost his professorship in Berlin during the First World War and was placed under house arrest in Lichtenberg in 1916. He became a Swedish citizen in 1920. Until his death in 1934, Marteau, in addition to his teaching activities in Prague, Leipzig, and Dresden, taught students from all over the world at his home in Lichtenberg, thereby establishing the traditional master classes that take place there today.
HAUS MARTEAU
International Music Retreat Haus Marteau
Henri Marteau (1874-1934) built a beautifully located villa in Lichtenberg between 1911-1913, where he lived and worked until his death. Surrounded by a captivating and inspiring landscape the Villa is situated on the outskirts of town (population: 1300) in a park-like garden.
With the establishment of the International Music Retreat, the district of Upper Franconia continued what Marteau had intended for his house: the individual promotion of music students from all over the world in small groups. The district has modernized and augmented the agenda, adding a variety of professional and amateur musician training courses. The following instruments are available at the Marteau House: four grand pianos, a Hammerklavier, six upright pianos, a harpsichord, a set of Orff instruments and a complete range of percussion instruments.
The first round and semi-finals of the competition take place in Haus Marteau from April 26th to May 5th, 2026. Audience members are welcome!
FREUNDESKREIS HAUS MARTEAU
The Friends of Haus Marteau association
We would particularly like to thank the Friends of Haus Marteau association which initiated the International Violin Competition Henri Marteau in Lichtenberg. The 125th anniversary of Henri Marteau’s birth inspired the association “Freundeskreis der Internationalen Musikbegegnungsstätte Haus Marteau e.V.“ to organise the International Violin competition and to conduct it autonomously in 2002 and 2005.
This commitment under the guidance of the then chairman Wilfried Schönweiß was a great success. However, as the competition relied completely on voluntary work, it was not possible to continue with this construct on a permanent basis. Therefore one looked for institutions in Upper Franconia which would be able to take over responsibility of organisation and management for this event.
The District of Upper Franconia as government partner and Hofer Symphoniker as organisers have been happy to take over this work, successfully running the International Violin Competition Henri Marteau since 2008. We especially want to thank the honorary chair Wilfried Schönweiß, and the current chair Ulrike Brett-Einsiedel, of the Friends of Haus Marteau association.
We appreciate and respect the work that has been done to date in the interests of the young musicians and want to thank everybody involved for their support of the violin competition over the past years.
Contact
We are happy to assist you
Do you need additional information?
Then please do not hesitate to contact us!
Susan Löschner-Döhler
Hofer Symphoniker gGmbH
Klosterstraße 9-11
95028 Hof
Deutschland
Tel +49 9281 7200-15
Fax: +49 9281 7200-72
info@violinwettbewerb-marteau.de
